Following the Second World War, health was defined by a number of international organizations as a universal human right. It was this fundamental principle that led to the development of modern-day systems of collective funding, and health is now at the top of the global political agenda.
The essays in this collection contain a wealth of empirical and analytical information. Contributors look at issues of health and citizenship in Europe across two centuries, and examine the extent to which the state can interfere with the private lives of its citizens, the role of individual responsibility and if any boundary occurs in terms of what the state can realistically provide. It will appeal to those interested in the history of medicine, in political science and the burgeoning field of health policy.

"'I learned a great deal from this thoughtful - and timely - effort to understand the ordinarily implicit but powerful assumptions surrounding medicine as an aspect of citizenship and human rights. I would recommend it highly to anyone concerned with contemporary health care as well as policy history.'"